Essays in: Musings

“I have pimples in my scalp,” said Diane, running her hands through her brown hair for emphasis. “The acne is unreal. It’s on my chest, shoulders, everywhere!” Diane and I had met up to discuss our goals and hopes for 2025, but what was supposed to be a strategy session turned into a mutual therapy […]

Time is a funny construct that humans have created. Unlike seasons where the natural world responds to rhythm, environment, and circumstance, time is fixed, rigid and unyielding. There is a beginning and an end. And so we have the concept of a new year. New year pressure is real. If you are one of the […]

I manage a small team of female creatives who work in the SRHR and pleasure space. Every day, we each receive messages—either in our DMs, social signals, or from the government—that our lives as Black and/or queer women do not matter. Some of these messages imply threats. Others are expressly made. The building pressure of […]

The day I turned 40, I celebrated with a Prince dance party, a decadent chocolate cake and a vow to delay getting a mammogram for as long as possible. I’d heard too many tales about this rite of passage for women, and I wanted no part of it. The whole procedure sounded like a crime […]

They say Ghana is a peaceful country because while Ghanaians will always raise their voices when provoked, they will never raise their fists. I always interpreted this to mean that unlike some of our other West African counterparts who are always spoiling for a good fight and primed to see revolutionary change, Ghanaians are cowardly […]

I love living in George. It’s an old city fighting to find a new identity. What makes George such a popular place to settle and raise a family are the same reasons that the semi-nomadic Khoisan did so for thousands of years before European settlers “discovered” the area and put their permanent stamp on it. […]

Reels.  If you’re on Instagram, you’ve seen them, shared them and even possibly made your fair share of them. Some people (like me) make Reels because they are a handy tool with simple templates for quick updates and storytelling. Other people plan and make Reels with the sole intent and hope of going viral. The […]

Happy new year, dearest Readers and Lurkers! I know I haven’t been consistent with keeping up with Mind of Malaka in 2022 – and to be honest that’s not likely to change in 2023 if the circumstances that kept me away from this beloved space are replicated this year. Yet as always, if you’re still […]

It was a balmy night in Nairobi; one where the leaves rustled melodically in the gentle breeze and the stars peeked through the veil of cloud cover to wink at we mere mortals below. Our working group had convened to have a final dinner together before we all went our separate ways. Perhaps it was […]

A friend of mine has created The Happy Company (THC), a lifestyle brand that is “founded on the agenda to spread happyness“. They prefer to remain anonymous (if such a thing is possible anymore) so that people will associate with and support the agenda, rather than the person behind it. They recently asked me to […]

Mr. Tei loved to whip children. At least, that was the reputation he had earned on the primary school block when I arrived in 1986. Only ‘Brah’ Sammy came in at a close second with a love for attaching cane to tender Class 3 flesh. It was rumored that both men would arrive on school […]

The good people at Ottar Magazine invited me to write an article about desire earlier this year. This article appears in Swedish, but if you’re not up on your Nordic languages, I’ve got the English version for you here. @bougiefeminist, this post is just for you! Lust is a powerful psychological force as old as […]

We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is […]

This story continues from Part 1 “I am Captain McGinty. I will be responsible for your arrival to your various checkpoints within the Federation of Industrialized Nations – should you survive the journey. These two men are my associates: Mr. Wong and Mr. Jenkins. They and their team will oversee your comfort.” Captain McGinty, a […]

My mother was a founding member of AAAG (the African-American Association of Ghana) in the late 80s/early 90s. They were the group responsible for bringing and hosting several African-American celebrities and influencers -before the term was coined- in Accra. Many of the members were entrepreneurs, thinkers and leaders in their own right, and as such […]

You’ve heard of the Law of Attraction, right? It’s the idea that both we and our thoughts are made of pure energy and that like energies will attract each other. So if you’re ill, for instance, you can attract healing energies to your body if you focus your intention on wellness. Or if you desire […]

2021 was an incredible year.  Now, I am willing to concede that any block of time sparkles – blindingly – in comparison to the hellscape that was 2020, however in real and quantifiable terms I can confidently say that this year was one of the most amazing of my life.  Let’s acknowledge the givens: There […]

I was a Mass Media major at Hampton University. When I graduated in 2000 you had to wait for your roommate to get off the phone so that you could use the internet; Facebook and Twitter did not exist; we were all getting our music on Napster and chat rooms gave us (or we believed) […]

TW: This post discusses suicide and suicidal ideations. “Mom? What are your flaws?”“I don’t have any flaws,” I tease. “I’m so amazing even my mistakes are perfect.” My teen snorts dismissively at my brash declaration – something I borrowed from my Harlem Renaissance reader and a great Black mind I have misquoted – and begs […]

“Are we the Gatekeepers of the Great Negro Library?” “What?!?” “The Negro Library. Are we the Gatekeepers?” “Malaka, what are you talking about???” “Oh, God. No! I’m gone again…” Whoosh! Off I went to the next corner of space.  I may – or if I actually had some shame – may have not told you […]